Stellan frowns and shrugs again. “Sort of. Maybe.”
I take half a minute before I respond. “Doesn’t everyone want to catch a glimpse of Atlas at rest?”
He huffs out a chuckle. “Is that who I am now? Do I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders?”
My answer is instantaneous. “Yes. In my opinion, a large part of who you are is wrapped up in your duty.”
He seems to give that some thought. “I guess you are right. It’s sort of impossible to be anything other than theking-to-be. I don’t… if my life changed suddenly, I wouldn’t know who tobe.”
I smile at that. “Oh, I don’t know. I think you would figure it out very quickly. Your personality is more than your sense of honor.” I turn my head to the side. “I could see you as a royal air force pilot. You’d eventually become… a commander, or whatever. And you’d live in a very fancy house downtown with your perfect wife and three gorgeous children.”
His lips lift at the corners. “Sometimes I really, really wish that was possible. I wish I could have an ordinary life. My brothers have a normal life. My sister has one too, sort of.” He sighs. “I’m not the only one who has to worry about appearances, but…”
I scrunch up my face, finishing his sentence. “But you’re the only one that will be inheriting the crown. So everything really counts for you, and you alone.”
He chuckles. “Basically, yes.”
Putting my camera aside, I lay down beside Stellan once more. Running my hand across the smooth skin of his chest, I bite my lip. “I know that this is the only time we’ll ever really get together. I just…” I lower my gaze, unable to meet his eyes. “I want you to know that I am trying to make the most of it. To… to cherish it, I guess. It means a lot to me.”
His hand comes down to cover mine, pressing my fingers against the wall of his chest. “It means a lot to me too.”
My eyes threaten to fill with tears. Suddenly, all I can think about is next week. “My article is supposed to be done by now. I haven’t even started it, but… how will I… how do I begin to write it?”
He tips my chin up so that I’m looking at him. “I don’thave an answer for that. But…” He hesitates. “I don’t want this to end.”
My lips tremble. I blink away a sheen of tears. “No?”
He shakes his head slowly. He has never looked so serious before this moment. “No. Do you?”
I blurt out every dumb thing in my mind without even thinking it through. “I love you, Stellan.”
As soon as I say it, my eyes go wide and my cheeks turn bright red. The reaction is instantaneous; I close my eyes, my heart lurching in my chest.
What the fuck did I just say?
Did I admit to being in love with himout loud?
Am I a fucking idiot?
“I shouldn’t—“ I start, but he cuts me off.
“You do?”
I open my eyes, cringing. “Yes. I didn’t mean to… I mean, I just blurted it out. It wasn’t very elegant?— “
He cuts me off again with a press of his lips against mine. Crushing, insistent, I hear him take a breath against my mouth. “I love you too,skatter.”
I freeze. Surely I didn’t hear that right. “What?”
Stellan cups my jaw with his hand, his ice blue eyes burning into mine. “I’m in love with you. I know it’s only been a little over a month. I know it feels like it’s too soon. But I’ve never felt this way about anyone before in my life.”
My brain feels like it’s tumbling down a set of stairs. My mouth opens and words fall out. “You… you feel this way too?”
He draws my hand up over his heart and laces his fingers with mine. “Yes,skatter.”
“Oh.” I stare at him for a second, giving him time to tell me he’s joking. But he doesn’t.
I scramble up onto all fours, climbing on top of his body and kissing him so fiercely that I can’t quite thinkstraight. He groans and sinks his fingers into my hair. His cock is already hard for me, long and thick and stiff as steel.
